The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) said it will get rid of a majority of its system administrators in favor of automation.

Keith Alexander, the director of the NSA, said that the agency will cut 90 percent of its system administrators and put automation in their place. The reason behind the new move is to improve security and make networks faster.

"What we're in the process of doing - not fast enough - is reducing our system administrators by about 90 percent," said Alexander. "What we've done is we've put people in the loop of transferring data, securing networks and doing things that machines are probably better at doing."

There are around 1,000 system administrators who help operate the agency's networks. But having people run these networks has proved to be troublesome for the NSA after former system administrator Edward Snowden told the press about classified NSA information -- such as spy programs on U.S. and foreign citizens through telephone records and email.

The NSA said that automation was an idea presented before the Snowden fiasco, but now that that has happened, it's working hard to roll it out and eliminate human workers that could snitch about private surveillance programs.

"At the end of the day it's about people and trust," said Alexander. "No one has willfully or knowingly disobeyed the law or tried to invade your civil liberties or privacies. There were no mistakes like that at all."

Just last month, it was announced that NSA programs would be partially declassified and available to the public as a result of Snowden's information leaks. U.S. spy agencies are declassifying documents that shed light on surveillance programs as well as those that will reveal information about the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

quote: Being anti-establishment is hip and everything, but when was the last incident where "hundreds of civilians" were purposely killed to get rid of one (or more) terrorists? Sensationalism only makes you look/sound like a douche.

Let's clarify something. I am not opposed to the US engaging in combat, however I do not want the rules of engagement left up to a machine to decide.

The missiles shot used by drones are not selective. They do not "only kill the intended target" while leaving civilians unharmed. The reports of collateral damage are often classified, because they want you to believe it's not happening. If you drop a bomb to kill one person, but end up killing 50-100 who were in the blast radius, you purposefully killed them all and are responsible for their deaths. You don't get to play with semantics to justify your actions - either accept what you are doing.

"Game reviewers fought each other to write the most glowing coverage possible for the powerhouse Sony, MS systems. Reviewers flipped coins to see who would review the Nintendo Wii. The losers got stuck with the job." -- Andy Marken